NATIONWIDE — In the interest of personal safety, the CDC says, don’t argue with anti-maskers.

 

What You Need To Know

  • The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued new COVID-19 safety guidelines for service and retail employees going back to work

  • Employees are encouraged not to argue with customers who refuse to comply with the guidelines

  • The CDC also updated their testing recommendations for people who came into contact with COVID-19 patients

  • Those who came in contact with a person with a COVID-19 infection do not necessarily have to get tested if they are asymptomatic

 

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued new guidelines to retail and service employees going back into work amid the coronavirus pandemic in an effort to reduce workplace violence. One new guideline caught many viewers’ attention: do not argue with a customer who refuses to wear a mask. 

The recommendations are intended as baseline practices for workers who may experience violence from a customer “when businesses put in place policies and practices to help minimize the spread of COVID-19 among employees and customers,” according to the CDC’s website. 

The new rules that may be implemented by businesses can include requiring customers to wear masks, limiting the amount of people inside a storefront, or enforcing social distancing. 

But should a customer refuse to comply, employees are encouraged to back down. 

“Don’t attempt to force anyone who appears upset or violent to follow COVID-19 prevention policies or other policies or practices related to COVID-19,” the CDC suggests. 

“Don’t argue with a customer if they make threats or become violent,” the recommendations continue. “If needed, go to a safe area (ideally, a room that locks from the inside, has a second exit route, and has a phone or silent alarm).” 

Despite these stipulations, the CDC also urges businesses to “assign two workers to work as a team to encourage COVID-19 prevention policies be followed.” 

The updated guidance comes after several high-profile incidents across the country where customers refused to comply with businesses’ individual COVID-19 safety requirements. 

In June, a woman in a California Trader Joe’s was filmed screaming at employees after being asked to wear a mask in the store. 

In early August, 35-year-old Adam Michael Zaborowski allegedly fired a gun at an employee at a cigar store in Pennsylvania who told him he needed to wear a mask inside. Zaborowski is now facing charges of attempted criminal homicide. 

The new guidelines for businesses aren’t the only updated COVID-19 policies the CDC has issued in recent weeks. In a move that contradicts previous guidance, the agency now states that some people who came in close contact with a person who tested positive for COVID-19 might not actually need to get tested. 

"If you have been in close contact (within 6 feet) of a person with a COVID-19 infection for at least 15 minutes but do not have symptoms, you do not necessarily need a test unless you are a vulnerable individual or your health care provider or State or local public health officials recommend you take one,” the CDC website read as of Monday. 

The agency previously encouraged anyone who had contact with a person infected with the disease to get tested immediately. 

"Testing is recommended for all close contacts of persons with SARS-CoV-2 infection. Because of the potential for asymptomatic and pre-symptomatic transmission, it is important that contacts of individuals with SARS-CoV-2 infection be quickly identified and tested,” the site previously read. 

The CDC has not yet explained the reasoning behind the latest updates to testing protocols.